President Yanukovych Wants Investment To Come To Coal Industry

The FINANCIAL — Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych wants investment to come to the coal industry of Ukraine.

Yanukovych said this during his trip to Stakhanov in Luhansk region.

"The stock-taking of the coal industry has been completed. Sixty-three investment projects for nearly UAH 50 billion have been selected," said Yanukovych.

The Ukrainian president added that UAH 500 million will be raised by the end of 2010 to finance state coal enterprises Rovenkyantratsyt and Sverdlovantratsyt in Luhansk region.

According to Yanukovych, a program of public private partnership has been drawn up. The program envisages privatization reforms in the coal industry from 2011.

"Ahead of all the privatization agreements will define the questions of investment and execution of all commitments. We will introduce this by a law. Also, investment in the infrastructure of coal towns is foreseen too," he said.

According to Yanukovych, a new wording of the state program "Ukrainian Coal" has been prepared. The new wording envisages the growth in coal production to over 90 million tons by 2015.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, on June 11, Coal Industry Minister Yurii Yaschenko said that the DFEC intends to invest about UAH 1.2 billion into the implementation of projects at Rovenkyantratsyt, Sverdlovantratsyt and also at Dobropilliavuhillia and the Donetsk Coal Energy Company in 2010.

The System Capital Management company (Donetsk) founded DTEK in February 2006 to manage its power-generating enterprises.

The Coal Industry Ministry expects that by the end of 2015, enterprises of all ownership forms will increase annual production of coal by 26.97% or 19.481 million tons to 91.7 million tons, compared to factual indicator of extraction in 2009

The minister said those results are planned to be reached through the implementation of a state program called "Ukrainian Coal" for 2010-2015.

The aim of the state program is to enhance the economic efficiency of the coal enterprises and to boost the coal production to satisfy the needs of the national economy.

In 2009, the coal production fell by 7% or 5.435 million tons, compared to 2008 to 72.219 million tons.

The Ministry of Coal Industry expects the coal production at state-owned mines to grow by 2.76% or by 1.06 million tons in 2010 over 2009, to 39.5 million tons.